Chapter 79: Leaving

Deep down, Tristan was kind of hoping that Karra would not realize what he was trying to do. However, it was apparent that this High Orc was not stupid.

The truth was, the orcs were not part of his escape plan. Even though it was cruel, Tristan knew he could not afford it. 

The main factor of success in this plan was to be as discrete and swift as possible. Bringing the orcs together would definitely make that impossible.

These orcs were green, loud, and massive, which automatically made them very hard to miss. They were exactly the opposite of what he was trying to do.

"So what is your order for us, chief?" Karra asked again, seeing that Tristan was unresponsive.

Tristan really had no problem with lying. But, he was definitely not the type who liked to give others false hope. Especially to someone like Karra, who he came to like recently.

"Karra, my 5 days are up. I have done what I could to protect the fort. Hence, now I must leave, so I am going to make you the chief now!"

The straightforward words Tristan uttered gave her quite a surprise. 

Without much thought, she replied, "I will follow you, chief. I will even if I need to go to a human city."

Tristan would lie if he said he didn't feel touched by her decision. It was indeed such a waste to leave a warrior like her. But still, he had one question he needed to ask before he would take her.

"Yes, I would definitely need you, Karra. However, I can not take the orcs. I might be able to keep one orc safe from all the humans, but not a whole clan."

Upon hearing this and seeing Tristan's serious expression, Karra became conflicted. She turned around and looked at her people, her eyes spotted the young orcs, the rugrats.

Tristan noticed the doubt on her face and knew the answer already. He put his hand on her shoulder while saying, "I am sorry."

He then gave the signal for the group to move out. One by one, Tristan's companions started leaving through the gate, making their way to the chaotic plains.

As he walked through the gate, Tristan gave one last glance towards the group of greenskins. They just stood there in the courtyard, watching him and the others leave.

He never thought he had it with him, until this moment that was. A guilty conscience.

It seemed in the last few days, these orcs' presence began to grow on him.

Seeing their looks brought him discomfort and leaving them gave him a sense of guilt.

After all, this might be the last time he would see them, as they would probably die in the next attack.

Subsequently, Tristan discovered himself unable to take that last step out of the fort. It felt heavy, heavier than walking out in the midst of battle. 

But then, his sister's voice calling to him reminded him of his priorities.

Safety first was the word. One thing that should definitely be prioritized.

Tristan steeled his resolve, turned his head around and took the last step.

***

Tristan, Layla, Barry, Seth, Borin, Herrera, the three dwarves, the two barbarian captains, Astrid and Scrall, as well as the 28 captured barbarians rushed towards west, as they ran along the river heading up north towards Arcadia.

During the journey, the 28 captured barbarians were extremely silent. They were afraid they would be turned into lifeless puppets by the elf when they spoke or did something wrong. Therefore, all of them came to a consensus: to be a good sheep for the shepherd.

Their travel speed was twice that of the normal group, as all of them were strong people. It meant it should only take them one and half days to reach the nearest fort occupied by Arcadia.

Naturally, all of them kept their eyes wide open throughout the journey, hoping to not see any of the barbarian patrols, because the last thing the group needed to happen was to get into a fight.

Crossing through the Chaotic Plains by foot was definitely not a matter of walking in the park. The plain was a dry land with almost no plants in sight at all. Clouds were also never seen above the plain, as if they had vanished from the horizon. 

These things that seemed small at a glance could make the journey even more taxing, because the endless barrenness could easily affect one's mentality in the worst way possible.

A few hours later, the group passed through an orc camp. But they could tell from afar that the camp had been completely destroyed, probably by the barbarians. The flying vultures in the sky made Tristan guess it had only been a day or two at most.

This sight caused Tristan to give another thought about the orcs he left behind, but he still had to move on.

…

It had been half a day since the group left Fort Redstone and the journey had been smooth so far, much smoother than Tristan expected. Alas, the moment he thought of that, fate decided to come and bite him in the ass.

The group spotted two barbarian riders in the distance, approaching towards them.

"Scouts!" Astrid said when she saw the two barbarians' attire.

The appearance of the scouts automatically made Tristan and the others tense.

One of the riders quickly reached the group and looked at Scrall, "Brother, which tribe are you from?"

Astrid was the one who proceeded to answer the barbarian.

It was quite a smooth conversation, where it looked like Astrid managed to convince the latter about the reason for their presence and also the fact that there were three dwarves among them. The woman was a smart one indeed.

Tristan covers himself behind a cloak and stands around the barbarian's masses, he had naturally prepared to use Blood Seal anytime in case of trouble.

But then, Tristan heard something that really bothered him.

"The path to the north is currently closed, no one allowed to pass"